"There she is, good as new, just as we promised. Now, where is the gold,

Chavez?"

Chavez motioned to one of the men behind him, a half- naked Indian

wearing a headband of eagle feathers, a breech clout twin leather strips

of rifle bullets and nothing more.

He carried a small leather satchel that he tossed to Jeremiah. Jeremiah

instantly opened the bag. He let out a joyous whoop and looked to David.

alpache Summer "Gold. I mean gold!" He bit the coins, smiling wolfishly.

"See, David, it was all worth it!"

"Wait, my friend," Chavez said. He took a step closer to Tess.

"These rat piss, they did not touch you?"

Tess narrowed her eyes, then thought of her own safety. "No, they did

not touch me."

Chavez nodded.

"Nalte, he does not like to be he- trayed." He raised his voice,

shouting in Spanish. A Mexican rode up leading a small pinto pony.

"You," he told Jeremiah and David.

"You are done. You go. That is all.

And you, woman, you will ride this horse."

She did not move. Jeremiah mounted his horse once again, but Tess made

no move. Angry, Chavez urged his mount forward until his large buckskin

was nearly stepping upon her.

Still, she did not move.

"Ni~a" -- "I'm not a girl, Chavez, and I have a name. It's Miss.

Stuart."

Chavez started to laugh. He laughed so hard that he crunched down on his

cigarillo. He nearly swallowed part of it and started to choke.

When he caught his breath, he dismounted from his horse and thundered

furiously over to her. He was a short man, she thought. One who looked

much better on a horse than standing. She was almost as tall as he. She

would be taller.

She raised her chin and met his stare.

"Get on the horse," he said. Still, she refused to move. "Eh, nifta, I

am talking to you." He reached out a hard, callused palm and set it

against her cheek. Tess slapped him with all the strength in her.

There was silence from every man there.

Then Chavez let loose with a spate of Spanish oaths. Tess thought he

would strike her, but he did not. He lifted her, setting her upon the

bare back of the pinto. She fought and clawed at him. His hat went

flying into the dirt.

Her nail imprinted a bright line upon his unshaven cheek. He swore

again, stooping to swoop up his hat.

"Hey, Chavez!" David snickered.

"We warned you she was dangerous."

Chavez calmly pulled out his pistol and shot David through the heart.

Tess, who had despised David, nearly gasped aloud. She clenched her

chattering teeth, managing to remain immobile and silent as she watched

the red stain flare out on David's shirt.

His eyes widened, and then glazed over, and he crashed down from his

horse.

He had deserved it. He had savagely, heinously attacked Jamie. He had

nearly raped her. And yet the cold brutality of his shooting sent waves

of shock rippling within her. "You--you shouldn't have done that,"

Jeremiah stuttered, shocked.

"Mr. von Heusen, he" -- Jeremiah's words broke off in a scream as he saw

Chavez lowering the still smoking pistolin his direction. Chavez was not

a man of mercy. The pistol barked again.

That time Tess did scream. She catapulted from the pinto horse and threw

herself against Chavez, clawing, raking, pummeling him. He swore,

dropping the pistol, ducking her blows, trying desperately to seize her

wrists.

Finally he had her. His heavy arms locked around hers, and she was

assailed with the scents of onion and sour breath and unwashed human

flesh. A sickness nearly overwhelmed her, and she locked her jaw,

standing very still as he stared into her eyes with his own coal-black

ones.

"Don't be too dangerous--Miss. Stuart. You see how I deal with people

who can no longer serve me. You will behave until we have delivered you

to Nalte.

Do you understand?"

"No, I do not. I do not, because I do not give a damn!" He swore again,

savagely. His arms tightened around her as if he intended to break every

rib in her body, but as suddenly he released her, thrusting her into the

dirt.

The dust rose high around her. Tess started to cough and choke. Chavez

wrenched her up and helped her onto the pinto pony. The horse protested,

letting out a shrill sound and prancing back and forth.

"You will ride!" Chavez yelled, his eyes black upon her. Trying to

maintain her balance, Tess reached for the reins.

She wanted to protest; she wanted to fight.

But she said no more. She held the reins and leveled a glare at Chavez.

She didn't want to be bound once again. At least she was not tied, and

the pinto pony was sound and sturdy. Her dreams had escaped her, but now

they were finding a rebirth. There were a hundred men surrounding her,

but feeling the power of the horse beneath her, the determination

reawakened within her that she would escape. She would survive.

"Ride!" Chavez roared again. She was going to obey him, and he knew it.

He started to laugh.

"Miss. Smart. Yes, Miss. Smart, you must ride! Nalte is waiting!" The

Comancheros shrieked again. Men lifted their rifles in the air; some

chanted.

Horses pranced around, and their hooves hit the dust. Then they were

off.

Tess found herself holding tight to the pinto lest she be thrown and

trampled in the stampede.

"Damn?"

High atop a cliff where the mountain range began its craggy rise to the

sky, Jamie threw himself against a rock near his perch overlooking the

broad, dusty plain below. He closed his eyes in pain, then opened them

to stare across at Jon, who was still squatting on the flats of his

feet, stating down at the riders who were racing away in a cloud of

dust.

They had ridden hard and long, and they had nearly caught up with Tess

before David and Jeremiah had come upon the Comancheros. Nearly. Not

quite. They had come in time to watch the Comancbero kill yon He, usen's

men in cold blood, and in time to see Tess hit the mustachioed Mexican

bandit.

And they had come in time to watch the men ride away with her.

"There was nothing to be done. Not now," Jon said unhappily.

Jamie nodded bitterly.

"Tonight. We have to catch up with them tonight." He was silent for a

moment, then he pulled off the low-brimmed hat he was wearing and

slammed it against the dirt.

"What the hell is the matter with that woman? Doesn't she realize that

Chavez is a cold- blooded killer? He's going to rip her to shreds if she

keeps that up! I could rip her to shreds myself right at this moment." ~

"She can hardly know that we're sitting up here watching her," Jon

reminded him.

Jamie stood up, retrieved his hat and set his hands on his hips as he

stared at the sun. Twilight was coming soon enough. He didn't want to

follow so closely that they stood a chance of the Comancheros doubling

back on them, but he didn't want to be very far behind.

"She's getting closer and closer to Nalte's territory. I have to get her

back before she winds up in Apache hands." He paused.

"Before Nalte discovers that he hasn't been brought ..."

"A virgin bride?" Jori suggested.

Jamie scowled. He was staring down where the dust still rose in the wake

of the horses.

"I met Cochise once," he murmured.

"I admired the man. He was willing to meet with me under a flag of truce

in spite of the number of times the cavalry betrayed his trust. He is

our enemy, he is dangerous, but I would not hesitate to go to him. I

wonder if this Nalte is a man like Cochise."

"Nalte is powerful," Jon said.

"He is the head of his family, and the chief of many families. He

usually makes war with the Mexicans because of the war they have made

upon him, but he will deal with the Comancheros because they bring him

the arms he needs to fight his battles. He is fiercely against the

reservation life, and will battle for his land to the bitter end. But

from what I have heard, he is still a man with ethics and honor."

Jamie inhaled and exhaled.

"I just don't know. I'm going to try to get her back tonight," he said.

"I daren't risk waiting to deal with Nalte."

He turned and started sliding down the cliff toward the small clearing

in the rock where they had left the horses.

"Coming?" he called to Jon.

"I'm fight behind you," Jon assured him.

The Comancheros rode hard alongside the range until the daylight waned

and night began to fall upon them,~ Then they moved into the mountains.

The terrain became very rugged, and their pace slowed.

Chavez dropped back to ride beside Tess.

"This is Nalte's territory.

You will meet your bridegroom very soon." He sneered at her, very

pleased with himself. Tess said nothing, but watched the man with as

much disdain as possible.

"Wait until you meet Nalte. He is tall and as strong as the rock.

He crushes arrogant little girls between his fingers. He is fierce in

his paint and breech clouts and he is merciless upon his enemies."

"Chavez, he cannot be anywhere near as repulsive as you," she said

pleasantly. So pleasantly that it took several long moments for the

smile to fade from his weathered features. He shook a fist in her face.

"I have not given you to Nalte yet, little girl! You hold your tongue,

or you will pay!"

He rode forward again. Tess shivered but kept her eyes straight ahead in

the growing darkness. She could feel the horses and the men bunched

around her, could feel their eyes upon her, could smell the sweat of

their bodies. But she kept her eyes on the trail, looking neither left

nor fight, trying desperately not to acknowledge them--or her own fear.

The rocks stopped suddenly. They had come upon a small plateau studded

with crude buildings barely discernible in the dusk. An open fire with a

huge spit set above it burned in the center of the clearing, and there

were women there and a number of armed men awaiting them. Tess figured

it had to be a headquarters of sorts for Chavez in the mountains.

Perhaps his last stronghold before it became Nalte's territory in full.

She remained on her horse as the men rushed into the clearing, yelling,

screaming, calling to their women, cavorting as they dismounted.

Chavez rode over to her.

"Welcome to my home, little girl." He laughed.

"Mi casa es su casa. Always, my house is yours. Tomorrow, Nalte's tepee

will be your home!" He roared with laughter, as if he had just said the

most amusing thing in the world.

He dismounted from his horse and lifted her down from hers. He pulled

her close against him, still roaring.

"Maybe I will keep you myself. You have so much to learn about manners.

Maybe you are like a very fine horse to be broken, eh? A magnificent

mare to be ridden and tamed, eh?" Tess struggled fiercely against him.

He enjoyed her distress and continued to smile. She shouldn't fight him,

she thought.

He enjoyed it so very much.

But just as she went limp, a sharp female voice called out, "Chavez!"

His features hardened. He did not release Tess, but turned around and

stared at the dark-haired, buxom young woman coming toward him. She wore

a white peasant blouse and a full, colorful skirt. Her brown feet were

bare. She was young and pretty but her features were wide and her hips

showed signs of broadening With age and the birth of children.

She scowled furiously at Tess and scolded Chavez in Spanish.

"Woman, shut your mouth!" Chavez roared at her. She did not stop talking

until Chavez turned, his fist raised as if he would hit her. The woman

fell silent, but her eyes were eloquent. Her look said that she hated

Tess.

"I am Chavez, and I will do as I choose!" he warned the dark-haired

woman.

He pushed Tess toward her.

"Take her.

Take her to the house. I will come shortly."